The Tumultuous Kingdoms of Remnant
by Kenshin1340
Summary: AU RWBYverse; Weiss, lord of her own kingdom; Ruby, head of a ranger organization; Blake, head of a group of assassins; Yang, commander of Weiss' military. Inspired by the White Rose of Vermillion- WR, hint hint- and countless other stories containing dear Weiss, who will likely be the story's centerpiece. T atm; soon M for intense war-violence & impl. lemons. descrip inside. -Ken
1. tTKoR- Chapter I:

**A/N:** **I have re-done chapters 1-4 stylistically. For the most part, plot has not changed.**

**If you care to, Google a map of Mount and Blade; Warband for a visual. I have set this AU in this world rather than Remnant due to the time-period I have chosen (medieval).**

**I'm broke and don't own shit like RT, M&amp;B, etc.**

**It's good to be back.**

**-Ken**

* * *

Chapter I:

"I have called you all here today for a specific reason."

The white-haired, five foot tall woman stood before an amassed group of people in what could be called Reyvadin's 'Great Hall'; the ceilings hung thirty feet above and were adorned with murals depicting the coronation of the aforementioned woman, who, in the extremely intricate mural, was bowed before a being of celestial nature with grandiose white wings sprouting from its back.

The crown in its hands was depicted as giving off the same gold glow that its halo atop its head did. Some said that Weiss had inherited some kind of powers that stemmed either from the crown that she always wore or from a supposed demonic heritage, but rumors were plenty abound in a kingdom with its head recently ripped off and replaced with a woman's. Weiss was merely 23 and yet she had the burden of an entire city state and its empire dumped on her back; slight signs of wrinkling were present on rough days and a silver hair ran streamlined through an otherwise perfect, pearly white.

"I have called you here today to bring to light an issue that has recently plagued our city; some of you may know, some of you may not." The small woman's voice carried throughout the entire room, its timbre able to command the respect of a thousand commander-in-chiefs. With a wave of a hand, two men rolled in a large wooden board with a map of Reyvadin**(A/N:1)** plastered across it; its surface covered in lots of scribbled x's and circles. As the squeaking contraption rolled to a stop, all chatter promptly ceased.

"Thank you, gentlemen." A small cough came from the front row, which was off to the right of the main congregation, and Weiss turned to see her military commander staring her down indignantly.

"And ladies." Yang's face briefly showed a smile before returning to seriousness with a clearing of her throat from her superior. Turning to address the main group, Weiss began again.

"There have been four murders in the past two weeks here in Reyvadin, and as this city's sheriff and this kingdom's ruler, I cannot stand by and let this continue to happen." Weiss turned and pulled one of her swords from the pair of sheaths seated above her left hip and started pointing out various things on the map, spouting rapid-fire instructions to her subordinates in the front-most rows; these were the people that were higher on the totem pole of power and would eventually have to pass the instructions down the ladder.

It had only been a month since Weiss had taken over a role of significance in Reyvadin (and more notably, control of the entire domain of Maevyn) and yet many things had changed for the better. The crime rate in "the city of justice," as people were calling it now, had plummeted 34% from its previously high perch of 67% for violent crimes. Laws that had been backlogged for months or even years were being discussed with Weiss' personal council; some still loyal to her deceased father, some hand-picked, but all determined to solve the city or kingdom's problems. Anyone unmotivated was quickly ousted by the white-haired ruler's no-nonsense mentality. Weiss had even managed to increase military efficiency while still lowering the average tax rate for the citizens of Maevyn**(A/N:2)**.

Even though Weiss' general attitude towards her citizens was less jovial than her predecessor, the people understood and appreciated all that she did for them; her stoic demeanor and hard-line business attitude garnered respect from the kingdom's inhabitants and production was at a well-needed high.

Some things had suffered with a change in leadership, however; sacrifices had to be made in order to focus on improving inwards, and relations with the other three significant kingdoms were strained at best while Weiss told her ambassadors to "divert and stall attention away from Maevyn until we are strong (and rich) enough to tell anyone else to go fuck themselves." Being the northernmost kingdom, Maevyn was able to defend from one general front should either of its neighboring kingdoms (Welilath and Shaevir) decide to attack, and since Remnant's climate was rather non-uniform, Maevyn had fields of grain and crops to the east protected by mountain ranges and plentiful fishing space to the west; its only land-access blocked by a raging, west-flowing river. Reyvadin's large castle stood at the foreground of Maevyn's southern defense while the slightly-less-impressive Ismirala Castle stood its ground near the only bridge-access into Western Maevyn.

The war-prone Kingdom of Welilath occupied the land to the west of Ismirala Castle and Wercheg; their family line consisted of an immense number of sons which ensured their bloodline's survival and their military consisted of the world's strongest cavalry. Due to the kingdom's immense size and population, (its reach stretched as far east as Dhirim and as far south as the river south of Uxkhal) Welilath was able to produce on a massive scale and equip and train many soldiers to keep its bordering kingdoms pressured. Welilath was Weiss' lesser favorite of her kingdom's two neighbors, and trade between the two nations flowed accordingly. The deep navy-blue colored nation of Welilath and its absolute-ruling king, Caius Calverius, often sent messages demanding, threatening or occasionally begging Maevyn to resume its trade (military Welillians really favored the deep-blue coloring of their clothing) of dyes and other luxury goods, but Weiss insisted (against her foreign relation-advisor's wishes) to keep trade with Welilath to the required minimum for each kingdom to function properly. She refused to be on anything more than necessary terms with the nation that was rumored (and heavily suspected) to have been responsible for her father's assassination. As much as the two hadn't agreed, the late Arthur "the Sun King" Schnee was still her father, and had also instilled a strong sense of morality in his daughter since she was young.

Weiss was anything but an idiot, however; she knew that her kingdom had been severely shaken by his murder and knew that in case Caius's mood became particularly aggressive one day, she needed a trusting ally. That ally came in her neighbor to the south; Shaevir.

Shaevir preferred Maevyn to Welilath as well; they would always agree on that at the very least. However, Louis Berillius, Shaevir's well-renowned war-hero ruler, was a rather benevolent man. He, along with his wife Pyrrha Nikos-Berillius (a proud warrior herself who insisted on keeping at least a portion of her name in marriage) ruled Shaevir with a firm and kind hand each. Pyrrha often leaned towards the firm side while Louis kept popular opinion of his government high by being the nice one that everyone could sympathize with, as he was not of noble blood and rose to his position through hard work and perseverance. Without one, the other could not have ruled successfully, but together the nation was kept whole and thriving. Both of them were excellent friends with Arthur, however, and felt deeply for the plight of Weiss, so the three signed a defensive pact ensuring each other's protection in a time of war. Many citizens of both nations believed this to be one of, if not the singular reason why Caius did not knock upon Maevyn's doorstep immediately after Arthur's... accident.

* * *

One of the Great Hall's current inhabitants was running through all of this knowledge as review; one of the sole armed occupants, actually. Besides Weiss and three of the generals and officers of the front row, no one besides the hooded figure had more than a chest piece of armor on, let alone a weapon. _Forty unarmed important men and women; how careless of Queen Schnee, _the hooded figure mused.

* * *

After Weiss had finished her main points and moved to sheath the shorter of her two swords, the hair rose on her neck and Weiss felt something incredibly wrong was going to happen, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what. The tell-tale whizzing of an arrow gave itself away as Weiss threw herself to the ground and unsheathed both swords as she rolled, holding the shorter in her left hand, reversed and backwards, and the longer in her right traditionally, with right arm over left. Panicked, most of the main congregation stood up in confusion and looked around, serving to further distract the queen; Weiss heard another arrow flying and spun sideways, flicking her wrists outwards and slicing the arrow in half, sending it off-course and over her shoulder. A sudden impact into her back sent her sprawling to the floor, weapons relieved; acting on instinct, Weiss pulled both sheaths from her waist and jumped off the floor with all the strength her core could muster, hoping to catch her attacker by surprise. Since their face was covered, all Weiss received in response was a grunt as both sheaths slammed into the side of the bow-wielding assailant. Instead of falling to the floor like the blow would've been received by anyone else, the assailant used the momentum of Weiss' strike and levelled themselves with the ground mid-air before reaching an empty right hand to the ground and pushing upwards, successfully throwing their body into a front/side flip.

As the figure flew gracefully in the air, their hood slid off, revealing a young, raven-haired adult female with red streaks. Weiss could only stand mesmerized (along with the entire congregation) as the newly identified female winked at Weiss upside-down before landing and immediately shoving off with her legs to propel shoulder-first into the stunned queen four feet away. The impact threw both her sheaths and body to the floor harshly, and the first sight the queen was met with as she opened her eyes was a heaving chest adorned by dark-red fabric and a bobbing head with a mouth covered by a rag cut from the same cloth. Focusing her eyes closer to her face, Weiss made out the shape of an arrow primed to fire about six inches from her face. From the way the assailant moved, she shouldn't be so heavy, but all the same, Weiss was pinned as her apparent assassin sat upon her abdomen and rested, pressuring their ankles and feet into her thighs.

Weiss closed her eyes and embraced the imminent death; it was something her father had also stressed when she was younger; _be prepared for death at any time, dear Weiss_, and in the current moment, worries about the future of her kingdom zipped through her mind. When a few seconds passed and Weiss realized no arrow was embedded in her skull, she opened her eyes again to see the tension dissipated from the bowstring and the arrow resting in the same hand as the bow. The pressure from atop her abdomen had ceased and a hand was now outstretched to pick the queen up off of her feet. Weiss sat confused for less than a second before re-steeling her face and grabbing the hand before her firmly. The lithe and lean girl before her was rather strong for her appearance, and hoisted the queen to her feet with ease before slinging the bow across a shoulder, slipping the arrow into a waist-quiver and sliding down to one knee with her head bowed. Yang motioned forward to apprehend her but Weiss glanced up and almost imperceptibly shook her head no. Confused, the blonde garrison commander took her seat and the rest of the assembly followed suit reluctantly.

"State your business, girl." Weiss' voice rang out clear and slightly tinted with contempt in the silent room as she suddenly grabbed her attacker by the collar and yanked her up to a standing position; the 'girl' visibly stiffened at the queen's touch, but remained silent. She put her hands above her head before straightening slowly; at full height, she rose to stand two inches taller than the queen. Turning to face the congregation, she cleared her throat and clasped her hands behind her back before beginning an obviously planned speech.

"Ladies and gentleman of this court, I have come today for multiple reasons. Not one of which was to kill your lovely queen here, however." An outcry arose from the crowd present and immediately Weiss' sharp tone rang out.

"Silence! I wish to hear what this woman has to say." The rightfully addressed woman smiled at this and continued in her confident tone.

"As I was saying, I came for other reasons. One was to see the magnificence of Reyvadin's Great Hall myself." This time, hushed mutters arose but the girl heeded them not. Her voice grew deadly serious for a moment.

"The second was to test the security defending Queen Schnee. You have clearly failed." Another outcry sounded this time, and its accompanying response sliced through it swiftly.

"I demand **silence!**" Weiss' voice rarely grew beyond a firm address; when shouting was necessary for the queen, it was time to shut the hell up. The cloaked woman allowed herself another grin before continuing again.

"These are rather... _tumultuous_ times, ladies and gentlemen; shouldn't the queen be protected at all costs?" A few reluctant nods and mumbles of assent came from the assembly and the woman finished her speech.

"My third and final reason is that I, Ruby Rose, captain of the Remnant Rangers, would like to offer my services (at this, Ruby turned to the queen and winked) to the Kingdom of Maevyn." At this, the crowd exploded in conflicting cheers and cries, but the Queen didn't move a muscle to stop them. She still made no motion to move as Ruby pulled a folded sheet of paper from an inner-cloak pocket and slipped it into the brim of Weiss' slightly displaced crown before walking away. And Weiss still didn't move an inch as the crowd parted for the exiting Ranger.

"Have a good day, ladies and gentlemen!" Ruby called out with a wave as she exited.

_I just have this feeling, this overwhelming feeling; that girl is going to be the end of me some day._

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for putting up with my silence.**

**1\. This is the capital city.**

**2\. Of this kingdom. Maevyn is not on the map if you google M&amp;B Warband map but if you want to specifically see it, let me know.**

**-Ken (formerly Skij)**


	2. tTKoR- Chapter II:

Chapter II:

Established on the only third floor building in the entire city of Reyvadin, Weiss had the best view through her two open-air windows that faced east and west with her desk facing north. The government's 'capitol' building sat in the center of the city and could be defended almost as well as the entire city could with a small number of men; it was designed as the last-defense in a siege situation, and built out of stone and at an outwards slant so that it couldn't be burned down nor scaled effectively.

The sun peeked over the hills of the countryside, diligently rising once more, always attending to its duties. The sun's purpose was to provide, to protect; it had come to serve a purpose, and its purpose, it would serve, tirelessly until the end of its time. The sun's light glimmered into the top of the window and reflected off of the marble, gently illuminating the queen's office and giving her hair a lovely, delicate glow.

Weiss enjoyed the mornings. A lot. They were peaceful, quiet, beautiful… and Weiss was able to enjoy her solitude. Her new schedule as the queen frequently interrupted her quiet time.

A knocking sounded at the door.

Like that.

"Do, come in." Weiss called, slightly irritated but nonetheless building up her mask she perenially placed to display to the kingdom that she was deserving, ready and able to be their ruler.

The door squeaked open and in peeked the would-be assassin from the previous day, grinning from ear to ear.

"That went well. Didn't it, my dear princess?" Ruby smiled as said royalty huffed and paced over to the other side of the open door-sill. Ruby took a step inside and closed the door while admiring the various decorations of the room.

"Did you really have to undermine my authority by just walking out of there? I mean, really..." An annoyed voice started, slightly muffled from the speaker's orientation in the opposite direction.

"You could've done something, your Highness," Ruby shot back quickly, to which she received another huff. A confident smile slid into place on the brunette's face as she walked towards her Queen. "I did go a little overboard on you after all; I know it wasn't part of the deal, but I figured what better way to prov-"

"I didn't want to hurt you." Ruby stopped and stared, slack-jawed, as Weiss made her way back across the space that entailed her office; her white boots' clicking giving off a regal element to the air.

"Yo-you, uh, held back?" Weiss nodded with a smirk and stopped in-front of the slightly taller woman and took in the view. Dressed in a garb designed both for practicality and presentability, (Weiss held morning meetings, much to the dismay of many) Ruby stood garbed in a deep-red sleeveless-halter top, accompanied by a black jacket that was stitched into the inside of her matching color-cloak that had a few splotches of green and brow. In the current season of fall, it would blend in perfectly with its surroundings. Simple black riding pants accompanied a pair of black boots with one pink ribbon tied into the top of the left boot. The same tone of red colored an extension of the hood of her cloak which rested beneath her chin; the mouth-piece of her Rangers' mask.

"If I had really gone all out, you probably would've been arrested and lost your job chance, wouldn't you've, Miss Rose?" The addressed gulped; her palms were sweaty and her previous snarky grin had all but disappeared a few minutes ago. Ruby let out a nervous laugh.

"Well, heh, uh, are you, uh, saying you don't need me here?" A frown briefly appeared on Weiss' face before evaporating in the time it took Weiss to spin on her heel; the queen launched into a monologue while facing her newest employee.

"Ruby, I still require your assistance here in Maevyn; that much has not changed." The red-streaked-raven haired girl sighed internally and opened her mouth to speak, but was abruptly stopped when a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Do not speak until I am finished." Ruby, wide-eyed and marvelling at how soft her new employer's hands were, merely nodded; the queen set off for the space between the western window and her desk while her counterpart took a step backwards and ended up sprawled in a solitary seat intended for guests like herself. Pacing back and forth, a few moments passed before she began in a forceful yet quiet tone.

"I do not hire bumbling fools; yet, you handled yourself decently yesterday, and I am somewhat pleased with your previous performance." A small smile started to spread across Ruby's face before being abruptly dashed from existence with the queen's next words.

"But do not think that that means I am happy with you. Or approve of you. Or even like you in the slightest. If someone else comes along who I deem to be more qualified than you, you will be replaced in an instant. I need you working to be your very best at every moment of the day." Weiss paused and turned to glare the Ranger down.

"Even though my father respected the Ranger institution and trusted Qrow with his life, you've yet to prove yourself to me. I am not my father, and I do not place my trust easily." Ruby swore she could feel the sweat droplets freezing on her back, neck and in her armpits. Weiss came to a halt and turned to face the now-slightly shivering head Ranger. The grim expression that had set itself into her face softened a little as she continued.

"We seem to suffer the same plight, Ruby. Both of our… mentors have left us in quite the predicament here; not fully trained and yet required to prove ourselves here and now. You know, I…" Weiss cut herself short; she was being much too casual with her subordinate and these times required professionalism.

"You'll start work tomorrow as my bodyguard; you'll learn my habits, learn the people in my life and their habits, and you'll spar with my military commander, Yang. The last was a personal request; be honored, she only fights those outside of war when she deems them worthy." Ruby nodded solemnly and took to her feet when she realized she was being dismissed.

"Anything else, your Highness?" Weiss internally winced; she'd gone and scared both the jovial, confident Ruby and the bumbling, awkward Ruby away; leaving her with a scary mirror image of herself. Shaking the thoughts away, she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yes; spend tonight familiarizing yourself with the streets nearby the central castle; here is where I spent most of my time, anyways. Do not hesitate to introduce yourself; your presence needs to be felt on a personal level here in Reyvadin." As Ruby nodded and opened the door to leave, Weiss bit her lip and almost decided against saying one more thing.

"Oh, and Ruby?" She froze, but didn't turn around, instead speaking to the slightly ajar door ahead of her.

"Yes, your Highness?" Damn it all.

"Bring everything you'll need to live for the next six months up here tomorrow by dawn; I'll have someone bring it to your new living quarters immediately." At this, Ruby turned around with genuine surprise lacing her previously emotionless face.

"New living quarters, prin- I mean, uh, your Highness? That wasn't part of the job description." Weiss smiled internally at the jest but bristled externally and snapped back sharply, stepping up and looking her bodyguard in the eyes fiercely.

"From now on, everything I say is part of your job description. You will heed my every command; are we clear?" Ruby gulped, nodded and set her face into its stoic look again. I hate that look on your face.

"Crystal, your Highness." Ruby turned and slipped out of the door without a word, leaving Weiss to slump into the visitor's chair and slide her face into her hands.

Father… how did you manage this?

* * *

An elegantly designed grand hall encompassed an impressive force of fifty of the nation's finest fighters known as the Mavericks.

A lightly armored woman stood proud and tall at the helm of the entirety of the squadron underneath a highly arched entryway. Her incredibly long, blonde mane was currently braided to the back of her thighs, sitting just above the cusp of her knee-high boots. A ceremonial pair of bronze-plated cestus adorned her knuckles and wrapped tightly around her forearms. Above her head, the words _Knie Vor Gericht_ were carved into the arch and plated in gold.

The image of the intimidating commander of the military was almost ethereal; her golden hair gleaming in the sunlight and standing underneath the golden arch, Yang certainly appeared to live up to her nickname: the Golden Lion of Justice.

Out of her mouth poured an excited roar; Yang seemed to not possess any other tone of voice.

"We have a little _treat_ for us today, Mavericks!" The roaring of 48 swords banging into their respective shields answered, filling the hall for a few seconds before stopping abruptly; the closed fist of Yang held high signaled for their silence. Yang took a few more steps into the massive room and out from behind her stepped a young man about her height with armor a tad too large and a shock of a slightly lighter shade of cropped blonde hair. One hand held a rucksack while the other raised up in a wave; out of his mouth came a greeting.

At least, he thought it was going to be a greeting; in reality, it came out closer to a squeak; chuckles and chatter buzzed throughout before he cleared his throat and tried again. His voice managed to project decently over the din of the room.

"Greetings, fellow Mavericks. The name's Jaune Arc." The jokes and laughter died immediately.

_Did he just say 'fellow'?_

_That scrawny kid's one of us?_

_He won't last a fucking week._

_Hell, I got 20 lien saying he'll wash out in less._

_You got yourself a b-_

"That's enough!" Yang bellowed as she jumped forward and snatched the 20 lien coin from its mid-air flight between the two betting soldiers. Both Mavericks looked up in surprise before suddenly noticing how badly their boots needed polishing.

"He may not look the part, but the kid surpassed my score on the strategy aspect of the test, even if his physical strength might not look up to par. He can handle himself, and if I find out anyone's disrespecting him, you answer to me." Yang yelled the last bit directly into the betting soldier's ear and relished the wince he made as she continued.

"Understood?" The sound of metal-plated fists slamming together punctuated her sentence and 48 voices responded in near-perfect unison.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" The Mavericks were trained well and knew, for the most part, when to be serious.

"Good. Cardin, show Jaune to his new room. Dismissed." A grunt was offered in response and the two men went down a hallway as the rest scattered or hung around to talk. Yang sighed as she heard a yelp from their general direction and prayed that Jaune would last longer than a 'fucking week'. Her own strategic prowess wasn't the best and she had personally overseen Jaune's testing; he had led his team to victory by extremely unconventional methods in three of the four mock battles.

In one, he had baited the enemy squad of ten into a narrow corridor that allowed his squad of five to completely crush them; in another, he used the recent rainfall and a hill to create a mudslide, crippling half of the remaining opposing army of twenty. His own army had subsequently destroyed theirs; the large battle of 25v25 was the ultimate test that the Mavericks required you to perform well in for entry to the elite fighting squad that answered to Yang who answered directly to Weiss herself, and Jaune had absolutely aced it.

The physical side was… a little lacking, but nothing a little training couldn't fix. Surely.

_You can do it Jaune; I believe in you._

* * *

"Sophieeeeee!" Ruby called out as she threw open the door to the Remnant Ranger Maevyn HQ; a quaint little cottage with 4 rooms; one was Ruby's (or the field commander at any given time's) room, another was split in two for the next two officers, the third was a living room with 8 orderly cots and the fourth a kitchen with a single table for two and a small bathroom. The house opened into the living room and was entirely empty save for Sophie Tyndall; Ruby's second in command, personal favorite in the Rangers and her partner.

"Second Lieutenant Ranger Sophie Tyndall! Where are y- oof!" Ruby was suddenly impacted in the face by a boot; standard Ranger issue, too. _That fucking hurt. And to think, she's about to get a temporary promotion._

"Dammit, Sophie, you're about to get promoted; stop throwin' shit at me!" After the second boot flew over a ducking Ruby's head, scuffling was heard from the direction of the secondary officers' room; shortly thereafter, a disheveled girl with curly brown hair dressed only in underwear and a deep-blue version of Ruby's Ranger cloak walked out.

"Whaddaya mean, promoted?" Ruby rolled her eyes at her partner's slurring and laid out on one of the cots in the living room, resting her hands behind her head.

"The gig with the queen went through; I'm her full-time personal bodyguard now. You're gonna be in charge of the Rangers while I'm otherwise preoccupied." The scantily clad, sapphire-caped woman suppressed a snicker as she sauntered into the kitchen to grab a cloth sack of coffee beans. As she walked back into the room, Ruby sat up and frowned at her choice of breakfast.

"You wake up an hour past noon and the first thing you eat is a bag of those accursed beans? They _can't_ be good for you, Sophie." The curly-haired girl tilted her head sideways to shoot Ruby a quizzical look before widening her eyes and crunching particularly loudly on another bean. Her partner just sighed and laid back down on the cot while Sophie crunched noisily on more of the beans. Sophie broke the 'silence' (_about as silent as it can get with someone crunching on crunchy shit_) with the first words she had spoken without slurring all morn-... afternoon.

"Sooooo… you're gonna be pretty _preoccupied_ with Weiss for a while, aren'tcha?" Ruby sprang up from the cot in an instant, a blush spreading across her face as she leaped across the room to tackle her partner.

"That's _Queen Schnee_ to you, Sophie! You'd better respect royalty, woman!" Ruby now had Sophie in a headlock; her partner had managed to get one arm between her neck and Ruby's death grip, but was still struggling for air.

"O-okay, R-Ruby, I won't s-say anything a-again!" Ruby released her and calmly walked back over to the cot she was laying on. Before sitting down, she glanced over at her partner who was still gasping for air and busy sweeping her spilled coffee beans into a pile.

_She certainly is comfortable in her own skin_, Ruby noted, not without a slight note of bitterness; her partner was a little more developed than she was in pretty much everything... and being a good three inches shorter, her curves fit her figure better than they could Ruby's. Noticing the red-themed girl's stare, Sophie took a coffee bean and flicked it towards her partner's face. When her attention had been sufficiently caught, she tried Ruby's patience.

"You never _denied_ my accusation, Ruby."

"_Sophie!_"

* * *

Blake stood up against a non-descript shop in the market district of Dhirim, one leg bent at the knee, pressing her light sandal into the wall. All black was becoming less conspicuous as the summer heat faded away; for this, the lithe woman was grateful. A window opened about halfway and a low voice spoke from within.

"Do as he commands; you will play a crucial part in what is to unfold in the land, Blake. Once you have completed his task, return here and I will set up the meeting. Then, and _only _then will you be allowed to take your revenge."

"Yes… sir." The window slammed shut.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading.**

**-Ken (Skij)**


	3. tTKoR- Chapter III:

**A/N:**

**I have a new beta! "ScytheReaper" will be looking over my semi-flawless chapters and… be making them flawless. Right?**

**Rotation's full- I hope I get around to everything as often as I can. If you're into League of Legends/ like the lore/characters (me!) check out my Vi fic and my up&amp;coming Cait fic- they'll eventually link, if you're into CaitxVi. If not, come for the plot!**

**On the topic of RWBY, I have another fic (if y'all know Elea) that is a continuation of Silver Eyes- check it out!**

**-Skij**

Chapter III:

"Do as he commands; you will play a crucial part in what is to unfold in the land, Blake. Once you have completed his task, return here and I will set up the meeting. Then, and _only _then will you be allowed to take your revenge."

"Yes… sir."

* * *

Ruby walked down through the hall, gawking at every award-filled mantle and mural-adorned wall sections. Weiss had told her that her new living quarters would be in the "Falcon" wing of the building, (she had laughed at that one, but her new boss hadn't appreciated it) but Ruby had no idea where the bathroom was, let alone the wing of a bird.

"Yes, your Highness. As you wish. Anything else?" A timid voice chimed from down the hall and Ruby's head snapped forward, tuned into the noise.

"No, thank you; that'll be all, Velvet."

"Yes, your Highness." The girl named Velvet and Weiss came into view from around a marble corner; Weiss turned down towards Ruby as Velvet went farther down the hall.

_It looks like it goes foreeeeeever. I bet it does! I wonder if Weiss'll let me-_

"Ah-hem. Ruby." The addressed girl, startled, snapped up into a salute in apology and felt her cheeks burning red for having lost her wits about the queen.

"Sorry, your Highness." _Hopefully she thinks I can be serious. Damn, I already zoned out in the first few seconds._

"Please, call me Weiss."

"Respectfully, your Highness, I'd rather not." All the traces of playfulness in that title leftover from yesterday's meeting had evaporated.

Weiss sighed, but turned on her heel and began walking in the direction that Velvet had left, Ruby falling in line shortly behind.

"Today on the agenda, we have three meetings; only one you have to really pay attention in. The other two are just you standing around; sorry." Weiss' tone sounded apologetic, but Ruby hadn't picked up on the friendly signs yet.

"That's just fine, your Highness. What's special about the one I need to listen to?" Weiss stopped walking and Ruby had to practically hover on tip-toes for a few seconds in order to avoid running into the pale-haired queen.

"Queen Nikos of Shaevir is arriving today, along with her entourage. The meeting will be discussing the exact terms of our defensive agreement, as long as including a few other trade tidbits. I'd like to you take notes on what points you think we can argue to have more protection from them; Welilath is growing restless."

_I hate having Ruby be so formal with me. I just… Why can't I just have a friend? Maybe asking her to be my bodyguard was a poor choice. Damn it all._

* * *

"Understood, your Highness." Ruby continued in her monotone and moved to open the door to their first meeting; as Weiss stepped inside, Ruby took her position by the door and stood with her right arm draped behind her neck; it looked as if she were lazing, but in reality it was for quick access to her bow.

_Never hurts to be prepared. If Weiss wants me to prove myself, I have to. I… I can't go anywhere else, I- stop, Ruby. Focus._

With her internal monologue ended, Ruby looked around and assessed the 6 attendees of the meeting besides Weiss; they sat along a rectangular table with the queen at the head. As she sat, the already standing patrons paused briefly before joining her. Ruby heard some chatter about Criewyn and Welilath but figured it didnt matter since Weiss didn't note it was an important meeting. Nonetheless, Ruby didn't like how one of the men kept rubbing his left calf; it wasn't even an itch movement, and it had the Ranger concerned.

_I know calves can get itchy, but damn. He looks super paranoid too…_ Ruby's hand clenched on her bow- it had subconsciously moved there from her shoulder already.

"I'm glad that we could come to such a swift agreement, gentlemen. Now, if you'll-" As Weiss looked down to organize her papers, the calf-rubbing man at the opposite end bent down and as everyone else was standing up, Ruby silently slipped her bow off of her back and notched an arrow. As the man's hand came up, glinting with silver, Ruby released and her arrow embedded itself in his neck. Twitching, the man fell to the floor and the knife clattered out of his hands while the other attendees scrambled away from him. Weiss looked knowingly over at Ruby; a smile graced the queen's features before fading away and taking in the situation. All that Ruby saw, however, was the fading smile and figured she'd messed up. Again.

_I'm not fit for this job… I'm really not. I wonder if we'd just be... good friends? But she's the freaking queen; I'm just...maybe we should talk later. Is it too late to back out? _

Ruby's thoughts ran rampant as she sprinted over to her employer, bow aimed at any possible perpetrators.

"That's not Ren's secretary. Damn it; how did we not notice?" An older gentleman with glasses was kneeled, checking the pulse of the infiltrator while looking him over. Sighing, the man stood up and gazed in the two women's direction haggardly before adjusting the bridge of his glasses.

"I sincerely apologize for this predicament and I thank the gods that the realm was not jeopardized due to your wonderful bodyguard. If I may glean your name, Miss..." Ruby began to open her mouth but Weiss was faster.

"She is not for sale, Ambassador. Ren-sama and Nora-san can handle themselves just fine; the captain of the Remnant Rangers is under the employ of the Kingdom of Maevyn and will remain that way until I see fit. If that is all, Ambassador, the door is right over there." Weiss had subconsciously moved her arm around Ruby's shoulders and stayed like so until the Criewyn ambassador and his entourage had reluctantly left. When their footsteps died to nothingness and Ruby's shock began to fully set in, Weiss lightly blushed and removed her arm; to cover her emotional predicament, she began a rant induced by her previous meeting.

"The nerve! He comes in here without checking his own personnel and then wants to take you from me when he sees that you have talent? Please. He's glad that the "realm wasn't jeopardized"? He could care less about my life The fuckers can go back to their own tiny kingdom and find their own bodyguards. You're mine." Weiss continued but Ruby had zoned out at this point; her face was engaging in Weiss' one-sided conversation but her heart had been set aflutter.

_She thinks... I have talent? I'm... hers? Not in that sense, obviously. Idiot, Ruby. But... She's so vehement in defending me... even when they're gone! And I've never heard her curse before... It's kinda sexy._

That thought suddenly blindsided Ruby, creating an intense blush that the brunette hid by beginning to pace. Her thoughts ran rampant again and eventually her pacing slowed to a stop.

_She was so quick to defend me... but it must just be some protective, motherly instinct. Right? Right. Of course! No other explanations. None. There's no way she can feel what I feel... she doesn't even remember me from before! But I do..._

Ruby sighed and snapped back into focus to see Weiss staring into her eyes from two feet away; the latter quickly snapped away when the telltale clicking of someone approaching became louder.

"Miss Schnee? Your Highness? My queen?" Velvet's voice sounded from the throne room; the meeting chamber was situated directly behind it.

"Yes, Velvet? We are in here."

"We? Are the ambassadors from Criewyn still here? I thought I saw them lea-" Velvet cut short as she entered the room and her eyes narrowed onto Ruby; the motion was not lost on the Ranger.

"Hello; I don't think we've met; my name's Ruby Rose." The cheery young woman extended a hand that Velvet brushed by; she subsequently walked over to the now-seated queen who missed the exchange altogether; her mind was elsewhere.

"Queen Schnee." Velvet rapped her knuckles on the table twice before Weiss noticed; Ruby hoped it was because of their previous... confusing-at-the-least interactions.

"Y-yes? Apologies, Velvet; I am not myself at the moment. Please be brief; oh, and cancel the meeting that doesn't involve Shaevir's ruling family."

"Yes, your Grace. As I was saying, I thought you'd like to know about a development from the north; across the sea. Apparently there's been talk of a new coalition coming together under the banner of a Welilath deserter by the name of Roman Torchwick; a new guy in town but he apparently holds quite the grudge against them. Perhaps they can be of some use?" Weiss began to smile at this thought, but Ruby took it as if it were aimed at Velvet.

_Of course; how could I be so stupid? She already has that silly whore-girl who is coincedentally smart and well-versed on the realm; she's even more developed and more aware and she's been around Weiss for longer, from what I've learned. She's even addressing her as Velvet and not as some formal title like "Miss" such-and-such or "The Captain of the Secretaries." Damn it._

_Of course; how could I be so stupid? We're not the only kingdom that hates those damned bastards. Maevyn needs allies in this coming war; preferably from multiple sides; all the better to assault them with... And who better to help than an ex-military guy who knows their tactics? Fantastic!_

_Of course; how could I be so stupid? That silly "Ranger" girl doesn't stand a chance; I've been working at this for years! I even know that the queen isn't quite into men; enough years of being her personal attendant has taught me that much. Its no wonder none of the suitors her late father tried to set her up with worked; what a poor man. All he wanted was for his daughter to be a pretty old woman who sits around with ruling husbands; if only he had known... No matter; she won't succumb to this awkward little girl. She's mine!_

Thoughts swirled in the room for a brief moment before Weiss nodded, completely unaware of the tension in the room between her two loyal subjects.

"That sounds wonderful, Velvet. Please, keep me posted on developments from up north; attempt to establish an embassy with them once they're settled in, and send them a little welcoming gift; a promise of whatever dyes they need to make army banners and colors from. They ought to feel unified before we can enlist their aid." Weiss clasped her hands and stood, causing Velvet to take a step back as she was right behind the queen (a little too close, if you had asked Ruby). Weiss began to walk out, snapping her fingers at Ruby and talking as she left.

"Thank you, Velvet. Ruby, let's go." Ruby perked up at the first usage of her first name since the first official day of her employment, slung her bow that she had been holding idly around her back and trotted after her boss. Velvet's thoughts simply ran rampant as she picked up the papers left on the table by the dignitaries.

_That's right, bitch; go follow your master like the hound you are. She'll realize that's all you are... and then she'll come to me; her trusted friend and advisor when she's all alone; that's all you are- just a tool for her to realize she's all alone without me..._

A chuckle escaped the petite girl's lips.

* * *

"So, Ruby, did you get all of that?" Weiss looked up from her own notes and noticed her Ranger intently watching the window; probably watching the birds or the people below.

"Damn it, Rose, pay attention!" Ruby snapped her whole body in the direction of her queen and lowered her head in shame.

"I'm so sorry, your Highness; I-I, I just zoned out for a second. Please forgive me." Weiss rose an eyebrow at this sudden shift in behavior.

_Even when she was being formal it didn't sound like this._

"Look at me when you talk to me, Ruby." The brunette slowly rose her head and allowed her eyes to trace up the woman's white-robed torso with gold trim, accentuated by flowing hair that was so blonde it'd pass as white. Her gaze lingered on the small expanse of skin the dress showed beneath the chin before moving to the simple pendant necklace hanging around Weiss' neck. Weiss felt slightly uncomfortable under Ruby's searching gaze but enjoyed it slightly and held her ground as the object of focus became the queen's lips, soft-looking and small, pursed questioningly while their owner raised an eyebrow. This slight shift in movement caused Ruby to blink right into her charge's eyes per her request that seemed to have been issued hours ago. The crystal-clear cerulean seemed to slip between a sea-green and a smoky blue before becoming sky-blue yet again, and Ruby found herself intrigued.

Weiss coughed, startling Ruby and causing her to glance downwards at her left leg, crossed over her right while stuttering. The unintelligable mutterings ceased instantaneously when a finger touched itself to her lips; confused, Ruby turned her eyes skyward to see Weiss with those same petite lips shaped into a slight smile, her eyes crinkled slightly at the edges.

"Ruby. I never got to thank you for what you did in the meeting back there; that was amazing." Weiss removed her finger and immediately it's loss was felt over in Ruby-land; the Ranger was completely entranced and enthralled by this new side of Weiss; the side she missed from when they were younger, the side that she'd remembered, the side that no one else got to see, the side tha-

"But if we don't get to work, you're going to go into this meeting completely blind and I can't have that; I need you awake and paying attention for this; it's very important. Granted, with a risk in the form of the new northern alliance, we're not going to need to ask for any more protection from Shaevir and this can be solely on trade. Come; we have an hour and if you pay attention the first time, it should only take half." Weiss had made her way to the desk in her office and motioned for her bodyguard to move the chair up to the desk. Nodding and obliging her superior's request, Ruby got to work.

* * *

A trio of knocks sounded on the door to Weiss' office, startling the busy, at-work Ranger into dropping her quill. The queen's calm voice sounded from her spot at the balcony that overlooked a portion of the main square.

"Come in." A short boy no older than fourteen came in with a paper wrapped cylindrically and sealed with wax in the shape of a spear crossed over a shield.

"The Queen of Shaevir has arrived. She says..." He looked between the two with a slightly suspicious look across his face. "to take your _time_, Queen Schnee. I also bear a message." He bowed and held the paper out to Ruby, who got up to take it over to Weiss.

"Oh, m'lady Rose; the message was intended for you. Queen Nikos requested that you look at it after the meeting but to keep it on you; she said it was from someone...oh, I remember; a Master Ranger Qrow, I believe." Ruby's face blanched as she fell back into her seat while Weiss turned around to dismiss the squire, her face poised in its emotionless mask until the door shut.

"Ruby... what's wrong?" Weiss got no answer save the rustling of the wrapped paper in the Ranger's trembling left hand. Her right gripped the side of the chair tight enough to wring the life out of an avian creature; her knuckles were white from the exertion.

"Ruby, please; talk to me." Still no answer. Weiss tried another approach; she cleared her throat and attempted to use her "royal-give-me-things voice", as Ruby had once called it.

"Ruby Rose, I hereby command you to snap out of whatever is troubling you and talk to me about it." A reaction this time, but not what the queen had desired; Ruby merely looked up with a blank look perched in her eyes; the kind that let you know _you_ weren't the object in their vision.

"Ruby..?" Weiss' confidence broke; the last person she had seen in this state had been her father when her... mother had passed.

_More like monster._

But even if Weiss had despised her mother's true colors, her father had clearly loved some illusion that her mother displayed towards him. Her father had truly...

_Enough about yourself, you selfish Schnee. Focus on the problem at hand, here._

"Ruby; come on, lets go to your chambers. I'll cancel the meeting, we can take a walk in the garden, if you like, I-" Ruby blinked and snapped out of her trance immediately, stuffing the message into her wondrous cloak and standing up much too suddenly.

"Oh, no need to cancel the meeting at all, your Grace. Didn't that squire say the Shaevir queen is here? Let's go meet her, I'm anxious to see the legendary warrior queen. You know-"

"Ruby!" Weiss grabbed the suddenly over-eager Ranger by her arm and yanked her off her course to the door.

"I'm fine, your Highness. Don't worry about me… alright?" Weiss slowly nodded, slightly miffed that she refused to talk (_it's because you're still authority to her, dum-dum_) but hoping that her unhappiness with the situation would be conveyed appropriately through her eyes. Ruby beamed her best smile and opened the door for her charge.

"After you, my queen." Weiss rolled her eyes and strode forward purposefully, hoping that her bodyguard's situation would be resolved shortly.

* * *

**A/N:**

**The Kingdom of Mayven is now the Kingdom of Maevyn and should've been the entire time; apologies.**

**Jaune will play a major role in this; he is coming back ~soon~. Blake also comes soon ^^**

**A big thanks to ScytheReaper for beta-ing!**

**-Skij**


	4. tTKoR- Chapter IV:

**A/N: I seem to write in short bursts of inspiration. Here comes chapter 4! Who knows when it'll get posted though…**

**-I wrote the above on 6-9-14. It is now 8-23-14, and I am so very very sorry. This chapter is not up to my standards of writing for what this story is supposed to be, but I hope y'all enjoy something other than a notification! **

** a guest review: yes, Velvet is yandere ^^ as yandere as a secretary can get **

** a different guest review- if you're just going to say 'fuck you' because I put a notification chapter, then you've got life messed up, son. As a reference to other people, if you're going to 'criticize' my story, do so constructively or get shut down. Thanks!**

**^this, after looking at my deleted previous chapter four... is exactly what I called. Hehe.**

**Thanks for the extreme patience… here's ch. 4. I hope you are all as pleased as I am with this.**

* * *

Chapter IV:

"Is that the best you've got, little girl?" Yang chuckled as Ruby rushed at her again; Yang caught the Ranger's first overhand cross and pulled it past her right side, leaving Ruby completely exposed as she bonked her on the head lightly and shoulder-shoved her backwards yet again. Ruby's face remained emotionless as she charged again, seemingly mindless as she attempted the exact same 1-2 cross-uppercut maneuver for the third time in a row; Yang started to get a little concerned.

After catching both telegraphed punches effortlessly, she yanked both arms in a cross pattern and pulled the smaller woman towards her, letting go of her fists and quickly grasping her biceps to hold her close to her own face.

"What's up, cupcake? You didn't fight like this in the ballroom, missy. Where's the spunk I saw before? This ain't no fun if you ain't tryin', Rose." Ruby's face made no visible change, causing Yang to sigh and push her down to the ground. Ruby moved her feet flat to the ground and arched her back, vaulting her upwards into an upright position. Yang rose an eyebrow at the move but shook her head and began to walk away.

"Yo, Weiss; lemme know when she's back to normal or somethin'; your little girlfriend seems off today." Yang casually called over her shoulder, startling the queen and stunning her long enough to allow the military commander to escape unharmed as her laugh echoed down the hall. Ruby sat down crosslegged in the center of the dueling mat while Weiss came to her senses.

"R-ruby. Are you... okay?" Ruby turned her head and another fake smile graced her face.

"Of course, your Highness." _Damn the gods, damn it all. She's not even spent a week here and I've already managed to convert her into this mindless bodyguard who fakes her own happiness. So obviously, too..._

_"_Ruby Rose. Come with me... now." Weiss attempted to slip in as much authority in her tone as possible without pushing the girl away any further than she already had. Thankfully for Weiss, Ruby perked up at the sudden tone alteration and hopped up from her position, following Weiss in a puppy-like fashion.

Weiss led them to the gardens of Reyvadin's capitol building, the one thing that Weiss' mother had done for her daughter that had been a positive. Weiss had done as much work as possible to eradicate her mother's memory from the place, but as hard as she had tried, one section of her mother's favorite flowers (a brilliant orange expanse of tiger lilies) remained; after a while, Weiss had given up on removing them. They gave her a reminder to live by- a reminder to keep the painful memories fresh, keep them relevant so that she wouldn't become... that.

Weiss led them to a bench central to the garden and glanced up at the guards scattered intermittent in the garden; 5 of the top ranking Mavericks were permanently assigned to the queen on a rotation with 3 nearby at all times in addition to Ruby. Weiss pointed her index finger up and made 3 circles, the motion for establishing a perimeter- a motion that Ruby rose an eyebrow at.

"Soon you'll learn the communication with my guard both on and off the battlefield. But, as of now it's not so important. What's important is that you get this straight." Ruby frowned, but attempted to listen as Weiss slid over on the bench and took Ruby's hand in hers. The sudden rush of blood pounding in the younger girl's ears made it difficult to concentrate on the sound of Weiss' voice.

"I don't know what the problem is with you right now… but whatever it is that's in that letter... I know you'll show it to me when you feel the time is right." Ruby stiffened a little but managed to calm herself by focusing on Weiss' hand rubbing circles on her palm.

"In the meantime... you need to focus on the task at hand. I postponed this meeting to tell you something." Weiss cleared her throat and pressed forward.

"I didn't ask you here to simply be my bodyguard; I really wanted some help. Just... a friend to keep me from flying off course, a friend to help me through hard times... a friend to be there for me. I know I'm not the best candidate to reciprocate any of that, and I am possibly the worst boss ever, but... can we try?"

Ruby looked up from their conjoined hands and stared deep into her employer's eyes.

"A-alright. And I'm sorry for negl-"

"Stop being sorry for the past. We're done with that; this is starting new. Okay? Fresh." Ruby nodded and the two stood up, Weiss (_reluctantly_) letting her bodyguard's slightly calloused hand free to whistle two short blasts before motioning Ruby forwards.

"That means follow me; normally, they don't require these commands to figure out the general jist of what's going on, but Yang tells me they have a fresh recruit who's on guard duty today." Ruby simply nodded, relieved that their previous tension had mainly dissipated.

"His name is Jaune, and he's apparently scored the highest in the strategy portion of the exam than anyone has in, well, ever." Weiss scoffed, her next sentence twinged with sadness.

"And if these negotiations go as planned... we won't need him and he'll simply be another plaque on the Mavericks' award wall."

"But if they don't?" Ruby supplied, already knowing but slightly fearing the answer. Weiss subconsciously straightened her posture as they passed through the back entrance to the capitol, the door being held open by someone who looked to be a gardener, his knees muddy and hands gloved in rough leather. His disguise was betrayed by the slight bit of vibrant blonde hair sticking out from underneath his shoddy hat and his piercing blue eyes; softer than angry Weiss, but still fierce as he looked up to give the queen a slight bow. Without missing a beat, Weiss slightly inclined her head as she passed through the door, continuing her speech as if nothing had happened.

"Then, at his current rate of learning and aptitude, he'll be promoted to Yang's position by the end of the month; only possible in a state of war, and he'll move out to our Western front with an army and no actual battle experience." Weiss sighed before continuing.

"And once he's won and lost some unimportant skirmishes, he'll be up against Welilath's version of grand strategist in a battle that will determine the war. That kind of pressure breaks lesser men."

Ruby nodded sagely before her previous fight with Yang came to mind.

"What'll Yang be doing?" Weiss laughed unnaturally, almost bringing Ruby to a cringe.

"Yang never wanted that position to begin with. I kind of threw it upon her when I first became queen; she was the strongest fighter I knew and I figured she'd be good at it. She'll be happy to give it to Jaune if she deems him worthy."

Ruby found herself nodding again before quickly stepping forward to open the door for her queen. Weiss took the brief pause to straighten out her white coat and dust off her white slacks; she never had liked dresses and skirts made her feel as if she was still ten years old. Putting on her best smile, Weiss stepped past the boundary that took her from being Weiss, Ruby's friend, to...

"Queen Schnee! How very nice to see you, dear." The two stood at the center of the room to briefly shake hands before they made their way to their respective chairs.

"Queen Nikos-Berillius, it is my pleasure to welcome you into my home. Please, please sit." Queen Pyrrha Nikos-Berillius of Shaevir stood at an impressive 5'11" and was presently garbed in a mithril breastplate and matching armored skirt; the trademark green and bronze colors painted in various patterns across it. A matching helmet and boots sat, currently unused, on top of a Spartan-styled shield next to the queen's seat that was on one end of the table. Weiss sat at the other end of the six-foot rectangular table; Yang was currently seated to Weiss' left, Velvet on her right. Two advisors that Weiss did not know mirrored her own's positions in respect to Pyrrha, who's spear stuck out from behind her right shoulder, its case's only evidence of existence being a singular leather strap that crossed between the warrior queen's armored chest.

"Now that formalities are out of the way, I'd like to present you the final draft of our defensive-pact agreement." One of the advisors spoke as he slid a rolled parchment across the oak table to Velvet, who opened the roll delicately.

"I am rather sick of silly formalities these days, Queen Nikos. Please, just tell me what has been changed, if anything, so that this meeting can be adjourned quickly." Pyrrha smiled knowingly and motioned for the same advisor to pull out a small square of paper. The queen took this from him and threw it disc-style to the other surprised queen; before it could hit Weiss in the face, a lightly tanned hand had already grasped it and set it on the table below. The arm attached belonged to Ruby; Yang's arm was now frozen in mid-air. Regaining her composure, Weiss swallowed and proceeded to open the square into what was a sheet of paper with one line on it.

Yang, who had previously glanced at Ruby with a grateful face, now spoke up.

"We're having this entire meeting because of one fu-" Weiss looked up from the paper and glared.

"Freaking line of the treaty? Couldn't one courier have served the same purpose?" Pyrrha laughed, distilling the remnants of tension that had lingered in the room.

"Ah, yes; you are without a doubt Yang, Yang Xiao Long. I am told that you have a particular affinity for the, more, _martial_ arts and warfare." Yang chose to stay silent as the queen continued.

"What you previously stated is true; we could have simply sent a courier to obtain your queen's signature and been about our business. However, Reyvadin was only a day or two's ride out of the way for our party of thirty," Pyrrha motioned behind her as Yang noticed seven warriors standing in the shadows behind Shaevir's side of the table.

"and I figured that there was a lower chance for any discrepancy to occur if I personally attended the final meeting. We are riding to Dhirim; I have received word that important news has come from the Western coast; news of a superbly intelligent strategist from Isiriva that Welilath has showed interest in for almost a year now. I am starting to think that this is why they have chosen to hold off on their attack; previous assessment has shown them lacking in quality generals."

Velvet took the moment to speak up, her words quiet but powerful; each word further cemented a problem that both rulers, now in an alliance, would have to address.

"Our scouts also report the same thing; the now, self-proclaimed ruler of Isiriva, Roman Torchwick, has a general by the name of Onyri Quintus. Our previous interpretations were that we would be able to ally with the Welilath deserter, but Torchwick has recently accepted a military truce with Welilath, and Onyri has left Torchwick's service for the mainland due to the, and I quote, 'lack of lives left to invalidate' in Isiriva." The room remained quiet for a few seconds before Weiss' quill scratching across the paper broke the silence. Maevyn's queen blew lightly on her signature before sliding the parchment back to Pyrrha.

"This meeting was rather productive. I appreciate your visit, Queen Nikos, and I, sadly, expect our joint venture in the plains to the north of Dhirim to occur sooner than previously expected. Do come again soon." Weiss stood quickly, followed by Pyrrha's slow ascent and the other four's hasted rises.

"Likewise do I appreciate your hospitality, Weiss. Do relax until the time has come; no undue stress is necessary for anyone." Pyrrha smiled with a nod again before kneeling to pick up her armor; she slid the helmet on with its cage drawn and slipped the shield over her spear, its leather strap crisscrossing the spear's. Slipping her previously sock-sheathed feet into her boots, Pyrrha turned yet again towards the Maevyn side of the room before focusing in on Ruby.

"I have a feeling we will talk more in the future, little Rose." The Shaevir queen ended any possibility of a response with the shutting of her cage-face guard and a sharp turn on her heel.

"Men. On me." The seven took up a rank with Pyrrha with the two advisors following closely behind, making an orderly line of ten.

Silence slowly returned to settle over the four females in the room as they looked amongst one another. Yang became the one to break the silence by falling dramatically into her chair and setting her face into her palms.

"What just happened?"

"The contract looked exactly as it did before, barring the amendment. The Shaevir have not attempted anything suspect, my queen."

"As expected, Velvet. Did the wording of the amendment allow for anything other than what they have promised?"

"No ma'am… barring any royal assassination." Ruby flew forwards to hold the secretary's shoulders and forcefully shook her with every few words.

"What assassination? Which royalty? Is the queen in danger? Wh-"

"Ruby, unhand Miss Scarlatina, please." Velvet kept her face neutral, but inside was slightly saddened that her own first name had not been used in the address.

"I am not in danger. However, as Miss Scarlatina has just pointed out, either Pyrrha or Louis can be if someone of Shaevir's inner circle desires to betray both countries simultaneously."

Yang sat up from her hands.

"How? What did the line even say? I'm still so confused."

Weiss leaned across the side of her chair's backing and slid the paper to her second in command.

"But you know, I'm not even sure why we're stressing so much; there's no way in any number of hells that Welilath can overcome the combined might of half of the continent's nations. And from what you say, Criewyn won't act to help either side… there's just no wa- oh."

Ruby walked over to stand behind the military commander and then, after reading the line, looked up at Velvet.

"Do you think it's possible?"

"It is a distinct possibility, Miss Rose. The growing rebellious movement in Shaevir would pounce upon any sign of weakness; either a lack of companionship from the absence of King Berillius or a lack of strength with the absence of Queen Nikos."

Weiss looked down at the paper Yang had slid back to her before folding it and passing it to Ruby.

"Keep that in your coat pocket for me, please." Ruby nodded as the paper was handed to her; Yang yawned and stretched before standing up again.

"Well, Weiss, I'm heading back to the barracks to inform our recruiters of their soon-to-be implemented tasks. See ya!" Yang sauntered out of the door that Weiss and Ruby had entered from less than an hour ago and turned right to talk to the guard posted.

"Yo, Jaune, c'mon- the queen's fine. I got somethin' to tell ya." Yang's voice slowly faded as two sets of footsteps padded down the hallway.

"I will be where I usually am if you require my presence, Queen Schnee." Velvet walked crisply out of the room and turned in the opposite direction to Yang.

Weiss turned to Ruby with a question on her lips, but Ruby was faster.

"I doubt they'll do it; Pyrrha seems smart enough to not let a mole inside of her circle."

Weiss nodded solemnly before her expression softened.  
"Thanks for saving me, back there in the meeting."

"You make it seem so dramatic; it was just a piece of paper."

"Flying really fast, Ruby! It could've hurt me."

"Oh, you're just a wimp."  
"What was that, Rose? I could have you hanged for insulting the queen, you know!"  
"Yeah, like you'd ever do _that_."

They walked out of the room, still bantering, and turned right; not noticing Velvet who had been standing off to the left of the room's exit.

"_If I can't have her, Ruby… no one can. I will watch this nation burn before I see her fraternize with the likes of you." _Velvet smirked as she pulled a long, thin scrap of paper from within her sleeve and read the sentence inscribed upon it.

**-The previously stated defensive pact can hereby be nullified under a singular condition; the particular instance of a severe domestic issue that has a potential of resulting in civil war-**

"Is the stage set, Scarlatina?" A voice spoke from a shaded alcove a few feet down from the meeting room; Velvet nodded and turned around to walk the paper over to her contact.

"Yes, Belladona. Confirmation of this amendment is valid." A wide smirk spread across Blake's face; a gleam flashed in the shadows surrounding her right hand as her left accepted the paper.

"Thank you very much for your service, Scarlatina. I hereby… end your suffering." Velvet's eyes flashed in danger and she opened her mouth to scream before she was pulled into the alcove and cold, sharp steel slid across her neck, her face permanently frozen in terror.

"And the chaos… begins."

* * *

**A/N: I let this chapter carry me where it wanted to go; I figured if I waited much longer to set things up (like I planned) it would fall to pieces, but I am thoroughly pleased at how well this came out and where I can take it from here.**

**My beta Scythe will take a look at this later, but for now, here it is! Hope y'all enjoyed. -this part will be deleted after it's been beta'd-**

**-Skij**


	5. tTKoR- Chapter Update

Hello.

I'm going through and updating all of the chapters. It's been too damn long...

After that, I'll get started on ch.5.

This is still an AU; if you support that, please continue to f&amp;f.

Love y'all.

It's good to be back.

-Ken


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